Dividing Property in a Florida Divorce

Attorney Howard Iken discusses property division in a Florida divorce

Asset and Debt division in Florida is called Equitable Distribution. One of the basic concepts is a ‘starting point” for dividing assets and debts. The means a court will initially take a certain position and then fine tune that position by looking at numerous exceptions and fine points.

Some Basic Principles of Property Division

If an asset or debt was created during the marriage – it is divided in half

If an asset or debt was created before the marriage – the whole thing goes to one spouse

If an assets was inherited or received as a gift – the whole thing goes to that spouse

If an asset was purchased during the marriage, and a large sum of pre-marital money was used, that spouse could claim a larger share of the asset.

In a Florida divorce, property division begins at 50/50. Division of debts begins at 50/50. But property division is also called equitable division in Florida. The key is the word “equitable.” This means the court is allowed to decide these issues in a way that brings fairness to the outcome. Sometimes this means the split will not be 50/50. A good example is in alimony situations. If one spouse does not have income earning capability, the court may compensate by awarding a larger proportion of assets. Click on each category above to learn more how the court treats certain types of assets.

Divorce can be the single most important event in your life. Make sure you gather lots of information so you can make informed decisions. Many people can benefit from the advice of a good, honest, loyal divorce attorney. The Divorce Center can provide a divorce attorney that can help you protect yourself. A lawyer is not an expense in a divorce case – they are an investment. We help clients in Hernando County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, and Hillsborough County. Our service area includes Orlando, Kissimmee, Tampa, Clearwater, Largo, New Port Richey, Brooksville, Dade City, and the New Tampa area. CONTACT US NOW or call 800-469-3486 Find us on Google

Who Gets the House in a Divorce?

The largest asset you will divide is the family home. And frequently the family home is the most contested asset. During the real estate downturn, most family homes had negative equity. Getting the house was not a desirable thing. But houses have begun to show equity since that time. And not only are houses a desirable assets – but they can also weigh in on a child custody decision.

Some basic realities of how courts distribute marital homes

Chances are the person who receives custody of the children will retain use and/or ownership of the marital home. Or at least this has become an important factor in the overall decision.

If there are no children, the person who moves out first or during separation has the disadvantage. A common myth is that someone who moves out has “abandoned” the home and has no claim to it. That myth is untrue. You never give up your right to marital assets. But moving out of the home may affect which spouse ends up with the home. Rest assured that courts will normally compensate by giving more of an asset or less of a debt to compensate.

The person who can show strong attachment to the home may prevail. This could be the person who owned the home prior to marriage or the person who worked on the home the most. Again, see the above explanation about the myth of abandonment.

The spouse who can financially manage their own new residence is the least likely to gain control of the family home. That is a practical consideration. Everyone deserves some way to establish or keep their own residence.

NEVER settle for a guess as to the value of the family home. Always get a professional appraisal. A professional appraisal is not free but the accurate value prevents either spouse from accepting an unfair deal. This is a practical consideration that is frequently ignored.

Non Marital vs Marital Property – How is it Decided?

A major issue in many divorce is whether property is belongs to both marital partners, or is the property of only one person.

Two of the major myths of property division

* It does not matter if only one person is on the title or deed. A judge can change that with one stroke of a pen. Any asset created during the marriage is subject to division.

* It does not matter if only one person is listed on a debt. A judge can redistribute responsibility for that debt. Many spouses have separate credit cards in their sole name. That fact does not limit a judge’s ability to divide debt.

Rules of thumb to determine whether the equity in the home is marital or non marital:

A home purchased prior to the marriage will probably be the property of the person who owned it before marriage.

A home purchased during the marriage is joint property and will be divided at sale.

Even if the home is non-marital, appreciation of the property that happens during the marriage may be marital property. The appreciation can be calculated by an appraiser and the number can be used during divorce proceedings. The question to be addressed is whether the efforts of either spouse resulted in an increase in value. There is no black and white answer and the outcome of this issue is usually disputed.

Recently the Florida Supreme Court decided there are situations where a home purchased prior to the marriage may be marital property.

This is one of the most complex areas of law for a do-it-yourself person to tackle. If you have a large amount of equity in your home, you will always come out ahead by hiring an attorney. If the home is marital property, and the fact that it is marital is not disputed by either spouse, there is less danger in a do-it-yourself divorce.

401K Plans – IRA – Retirement Plans – In Divorce

In a long term marriage – ten years or more, a divorced spouse can potentially get higher social security benefits upon retirement.

Dividing Retirement Plans

If you earned a retirement plan during the marriage – it is subject to division by the court. All retirement plans, no matter what type or form, may be marital property. This includes 401K, IRA, Roth IRA, Annuities, and other types of deferred compensation plans. That means you or your spouse will have to split the plan. It does not matter if the other spouse never worked a day – the plan is still marital property. If part of the plan was earned before the marriage then part may be marital, and part non-marital.

How Much is Marital?

The entire retirement plan is not necessarily marital. Only the amount of value accrued, or built up during the marriage is marital. Amounts build up before the marriage are not marital. The years you simply lived together do not count. Only years actually married qualify.

The courts have come up with some established ways to determine the marital portion of a 401K or other type of retirement plan. Two phrases that describe the way the courts handle the determination are the ” time rule ” and the ” coverture fraction. “ These two are essentially the same. The exact formula can vary depending on the exact situation. But one example used by the court in a recent case follows:

Rule of Thumb for Dividing Pension Plans

The numerator should represent the number of months in which marital labor was devoted to earning the retirement account. The denominator would be the total number of months in which the retirement account was earned. The resulting fraction multiplied by the total present value of the retirement account is the marital portion – to be divided in the divorce.

Dividing Pension Plans Without a Tax Penalty

Most plans cannot be divided or liquidated without severe penalties. This problem is addressed with a special document called a QDRO – Qualified Domestic Relations Order. A QDRO is a special type of order, signed by the judge, that directs the retirement plan administrator to divide the plan payout at some time in the future. The word “future” in this case is the normal date in which payments would be made without penalty. Both spouses must wait until that future date for their payment. A QDRO is sent to the plan administrator and is binding upon them. Because arrangements to split the 401K or IRA are already in place, there is no reason for you to deal with your spouse in the future.Your attorney or an outside service can provide the QDRO document, ready to present to the Court.

Cash, Stocks, Bonds, CDs, & Debts

Overall, dividing money is the easiest issue for the courts to handle. Florida law requires a 50/50 split of money and debt – with certain exceptions. To compensate for other unequal value assets the court can award more money to one spouse or another. The goal is to equalize property between the spouses and an allocation of money and debt will be used to achieve that goal.

As always, special circumstances may apply. An inheritance to one spouse that is kept in the bank, never touched, and not used for marital support will probably remain the property of only one spouse.

The court will also look at problem situations, such as when one spouse improperly hides or wastes cash. Where large sums of money are involved the court may enter an order temporarily freezing a bank account to prevent waste. If money is missing due to the fault of one spouse the court may order an unequal distribution of property to compensate.

Automobiles – Who Gets Them?

Florida law requires a 50/50 split of assets most of the time. But that 50/50 cannot possible result in every asset cut in half. That would be impractical with cars.

In the case of cars, the natural preference is to award them to the person that normally drives that vehicle. The car loan always comes with the car. If the end result causes an imbalance in “value” to either side – the court can compensate by varying the percentage of division for other assets.

Dividing Othe Items in a Divorce

Florida law requires a 50/50 split of assets most of the time. But the court can allocate property to the spouse that has current possession or typically uses that item the most.

Personal property includes anything and everything that is not a house, building, or land. Parties to a divorce commonly dispute the value of household items.

Be sure to make a list of everything in a house before it disappears. Take pictures or videos. Be sure to secure anything you really want before you move out. Things tend to disappear in the typical case.

Common Property Division Questions

Everything is in one persons name. Does that mean it is not marital property?

Probably not. Titles, deeds, or possession does not necessarily determine whether property is marital or non-marital. The Court can change ownership details with one stroke of the pen. What really matters is fairness and common sense. But something to keep in mind is that Florida property distribution law contains many exceptions. For example, if one spouse put significant pre-marital money into an asset – that may give them a larger share in the end. It is important to look at each asset at the time of the marriage and then again – at the time of marital separation.

Everything is in the name of my spouses parent. What now?

These are difficult situations. But if you can present adequate proof, the Court can protect you and redistribute property that is really marital. People typically place assets in a family member’s name to protect it in the future. When this is the situation you must make a decision on how much money/effort you will spend on that item – versus the value of a possible recovery.

Can property division be changed after the divorce is granted?

Almost never. Final judgments are exactly that in property division – Final. There are some limited exceptions – such as when a spouse hides an asset and the court never addressed it. But for the most part asset distribution is final and non-modifiable.

Selling the house in a divorce?

If neither spouse can afford the marital home, or no one wants the home, it would be helpful to sell the house while the divorce is in progress. You can either agree on division of proceeds or the proceeds can be held in an escrow account pending a final court decision. During the last recession a common problem is when the marital home is under water financially. That makes it difficult or impossible to sell. Both spouses may want to file for a bankruptcy and give up the home. Or one spouse may want it but get extra assets to compensate for an upside down home.

401K and Divorce:

There are special rules governing 401Ks, IRAs and divorce – how the accounts are divided and who gets what percentage. The basic rule is that any equity created during the marriage is marital propery and will be divided. Any investment value created during the marriage is treated the same. Click on the link in the above map to learn more.

Bankruptcy before Divorce:

There is nothing that prevents either spouse from filing for bankruptcy before divorce. But keep in mind, the courts can assign debt back to you. Also, the bankruptcy code prevents the avoidance of obligations owed your spouse resulting from a divorce.

Free Questions

& Answers

I hired Howard Iken as my attorney to handle my divorce case. Not only did he secure a win for me in the eventual divorce trial, he was also successful in having the post divorce trial petitions (4) filed by my ex-husband dismissed. Mr. Iken is very professional and adept at developing strategies that are favorable to his clients. He is organized, thorough, creative and more than willing to go the extra mile. I would highly recommend Mr. Iken’s law firm to anyone seeking legal services.

We divorced in sep of 2010. She was awarded the house and was to assume financial responsibility for the property. She lived in the house for almost 3 years and never made any payments. Now she has syripped everything fromto inside andstuff abandoned the house and moved in with her boyfriend and sent me an email stating I can do whatever I want with the house. The mortgage is now 34 payments behind and in foreclosure. Do I have a civil case against her for intentionally destroying my credit.

HowardIken

Possibly. You do have a case against her because chances are the divorce settlement said she will indemnify your – or hold you harmless on the house. Check your documents to make sure this language is included. You can reopen the divorce case to enforce – or you may be able to file a civil lawsuit. The problem that will arise is whether a credit score has a monetary value. I say it does. But a lot of judges disagree. That will be the uphill battle.

kirsmom

Divorce Decree states: Husband keeps truck and takes over the loan. If any time after October 2008 the loan goes past due he will sell the vehicle or refienace the truck, in order not to harm wifes credit standing.

He has not made a consistent payments. I requested every time I was notified that he either comply or return the vehicle to me. My laywer told me to stop and leave it alone. Yesterday I was notified that the truck was repossessed. The lending institution has offered me a deal to get it back and continue payments myself in order to save my credit. My ex states that he wants this to stop my refi of the house so he can take it. I am having a problem with the refi as my house is appraising for 100,000 less that what I owe and my credit score with the past due truck and several other bills he was given are not being paid. Two questions: Do I take the auto loan deal and take on the debt of the vehicle? or fight it with the credit reporting agencies later. Secondly, If he takes me back to court because his name has not been removed from the mortagage can he take my house? (mortgage is current always has been). He does not pay his child support either.

HowardIken

Take the car and save your credit. Try to do something productive with the car. Keep good records. Because any money you lose is his fault – and you can present the info in court later on.

On the mortgage – your requirement is to make good-faith efforts to refi. Based on the value – a refi would be impossible. Because your payments are up to date – he has no “beef” with you. So the answer on that one is: he cannot take the house.

You said he is behind on child support. He definitely does not want to step back into court.

wrongagain

Hello. My spouse travels around the country for his job but he says his pay was recently reduced by his company. I do not notice any change in the way he spends money. We have been talking about divorce during the last year and my belief is that he is planning something. Is there a way I can track down what he is really earning?

HowardIken

Try to find financial documents in the house and copy them. Bank account statements are especially helpful. But the only real way to force financial disclosure is after you file your divorce case. After the filing we have a variety of tools to find out what is really happening. Examples include subpoenas issued directly to financial institutions and depositions.

Roundpeg

My divorce includes a marital settlement agreement which Our debt are 2 credit cards both under my name and credit which I stopped paying in 2009 because of this mess. He has not given me any money so that I can negotiate a deal with the collectors and pay them off. What can I do?

HowardIken

Normally, a chapter 7 bankruptcy is very effective at cleaning up these types of issues after a divorce

johnathon martin

can a quickclaim deed be reversed and my rights be given back to me, if the x spouse abandons the property or does not pay the mortgage payments ?, I quickclaimed to her as part of the divorce or if she lives their letting it go into foreclosure until they make her leave ?

HowardIken

Not easily without her cooperation. If this was done as part of a divorce settlement – it is not modifiable. But she can deed the property to you as part of a side arrangement.

johnathn martin

I quick claimed the property as part of the divorce agreement and my ex spouse was to the best of their ability to refinance the property but only keeps modifying it after mortgage goes into foreclosure (2nd time now). keeps adding the missed payments to the modified mortgage living basically free their now for 4 years. the mortgage company keeps letting this happen without my signature and keeps ruining my credit and holds me responsible along with spouse on the money added to the modified mortgage. Divorced 5 years ago is their anything I can do to stop this or get out of this or not be responsible for the money that keeps getting added ? I can’t start my life over credit wise cause of all of this

HowardIken

There is no clear answer on this without a complete reading of your final judgment.

LC mattera

KI purchased a home in cash in new pt richey last year with my name on deed only..I got married 1 month later…if I divorce will my spouse be entitled to any portion of my house?

HowardIken

It depends on how long the marriage has been and whether marital funds were used to pay the mortgage.

Mande35

Can abandonment be grounds for a divorce & alimony?

HowardIken

Not in itself. You always have the sole right to a divorce. But a claim for alimony is much more complex.

PeterS

Wondering if I am completely hosed or not as I had probably the worst divorce attorney ever? Of course I would have just about agreed to anything to get out from a marriage to a drug addict. I divorced in 2005 after almost 20 years of marriage. Her 4th, my 1st, no kids. She was awarded $2,000/month in equitable distribution payments (Not Alimony) until one of us dies. Under the “General Provisions” section it says “a modification or waiver of any of the provisions of this agreement shall be effective only if made in writing and executed with the same formality as this agreement.” I take that as unless my ex agrees to let me off the hook I am screwed. She is now 59 and I am 52 so I could be paying for another 30 years or more, longer then I was even married! My income is way down as compared to back in 2005 as a matter of fact I have been unemployed now for the last 8 months and have had to take money from my 401K to pay my ex.

HowardIken

Cannot really say until we read the agreement. This sounds a bit unusual but there may have been a reason behind it. We offer brutally honest second opinions for $285. It can be done in person or the phone. We will either tell you the issue is at an end – or there is something to do about it. If you really want we can even be honest whether you got a bad deal. It seems worth the money but that is ultimately up to you.

MatthewL

I have a division of asset question regarding our home. A year and a half before we married I purchased a home putting down $20 grand of my own money (premarital). However, she insisted on being on the deed. She did not get put on the loan. We married over a year later and she moved in. I know the home is a marital asset (we were married 11 years) and should be divided, however could I make a claim to the additional equity I brought to the original purchase before we were married?

HowardIken

Yes. That is a recognized way to claim an “unequal division” of the asset.

lkk

my separated spouse rented out our florida home without me signing the lease agreement. i refused to sign since i want to complete the divorce and somehow he and his leasing agent still went thru with the lease. i dont have money for a lawyer, what can be done about this. my name is on the deed but not the mortgage.

HowardIken

Probably not much can be done until the divorce is over. But you can always hold a “temporary relief hearing.”

FLa

In FL approx. how much of my husband retirement pay would I be entitled to if he served from 8 Aug 1985 thru 31 Dec 2007. We were married 12 June 1999. As of today what approx. amount would I be entitled to if retirement is approx. $2200.00? Fla

HowardIken

It sounds like the retirement was earned entirely before the marriage date. That would indicate zero.

Jennifer

I was divorced in Aug 2004 and was awarded 14% of his military retirement. To date I’ve never received a penny. My attorney at the time didn’t file the correct paperwork. My question is what would be the cost of retaining an attorney with knowledge of the military dod and would I still be entitled to the 14% from 2004 forward?

HowardIken

Yes, you are still entitled to the money. If you are in our service area, please set up a free initial consult and we can discuss costs.

T

My ex is modifying child support, we divorced over 5 years ago. Do I need to fill out the Assets and liability section? We are just doing a modification not dividing any property

HowardIken

Yes, the assets and liability section is part of the financial affidavit and is a sworn statement.

Jennifer Gardner

my ex didn’t disclose a townhouse we purchased during the marriage in divorce florida

Jennifer Gardner

he didn’t put it in financial affidavit do I have any kind of case

HowardIken

Yes. But you have to prove it.

Jess A

I was married less than 3 years. I filed for divorce on 5/2014. My soon to be ex was unemployed for most of the marriage and did not contribute anything to the bank accounts or paid anything towards the house I purchased. He left the house and has not paid me for the insurance I cover for our daughter or the mortgage. he still insists on getting half the equity. can he get that if my mom gave me money and we have marital debt? And my mom is buying me a car and wants to put the title under my name, will he be able to say i have to split the car 50/50 if she is paying for it? thank you

Tracy

My divorce is final and my ex is required to give me a portion of his 401K. He is trying to say he gets to determine how the money is handled. He wants to split his 401K and put my portion in there. I want to set up a Roth IRA with the money. He says the marriage settlement doesn’t state how he has to give me the money. What are my options here? He mentioned that the QDRO wasn’t done correctly. That should be my problem? Thanks!

HowardIken

The QDRO is normally the responsibility of the person designated in the final judgment. If there is no specific language the ultimate responsibility is up in the air. But once your portion of the 401K is established – you should be able to roll it over into a qualifying account. You should discuss this with the plan administrator. There is no method of directly creating a separate IRA, from a 401K, via a QDRO.

Sadandnotwantingdivorce

My husband was recently promoted to high paying position of 120k with potential of 250k in 3-5 years and now wants divorce. I am a realtor with unsteady income (gross commissions 60k). We have 2 children , married 9 years living together for 2 years prior to that. I would like to keep marital home where the kids have been raised and my car ( and could afford with adequate child support and perhaps durational alimony) but all loans are in his name solely. I am on deed to home. If I were awarded home and car would he be required to keep loans in his name? My credit was damaged after sale of a business and I could not even get approved for an apartment I’m afraid.

HowardIken

There are many scenarios where a loan could stay in the other spouse’s name. Nothing you said sounds unrealistic.

Meli

I have been separated for the last six years. I initially filed for divorce but I did not follow through and it was dismissed, I was 21, single parent with two children didn’t really know the process of the divorce. I know he is currently in PR but don’t know where and I have not spoken to him in the last 3 years. Last thing I heard was that he has two kids with two different women. I want to purchase a home, and wanted to know first since we have been separated for 6 years and I don’t even know where he is, can he claim the house if he ever finds out before I finally get a divorce? Or do I have to put it in the divorce even if it was not during our time together?

HowardIken

It would be extremely unlikely he could ever claim ownership in the house. But it is not a good idea to remain married if you are purchasing real estate.

Jesse

My wife and I are filing for divorce in Florida, as self-represented litigants. We agree on most issues, but I have some concerns about a house that she bought for her sister during our marriage, and that ended in foreclosure. This in fact was one of the things that triggered our divorce, many other issues added, of course. Since I was not even aware of the house purchase, my signature is not on the promissory note, but it did happen while we were married. She agrees that she should be responsible for the debt, should a deficiency judgment be filed against her. And, she is willing to state so in the settlement agreement. However, as we are filling out the forms, it asks us to place a checkmark next to a liability, if we believe that only one party is responsible for it. Then the instructions add: “this usually only happens if the liability was acquired before the marriage”.

I want to make sure that this will not come back to haunt me later, because we were married at the time she incurred the debt. Will the fact that she states resposibility for the debt in the agreement, be enough to protect me from creditors that may want to get money from me?

HowardIken

I am sorry but we do not give directions on self filed court documents. Not trying to be “smart” but I do not want your problem to come back and haunt our firm.

Toren

My ex is short selling the home that we both have our names on 2 1/2 years after our divorce. I filed a quit claim at divorce. Is there any way to save my credit score?

HowardIken

Probably not. But there is a chance the lender will forgive the debt. The only possible problem with that is a possible tax issue for you.

Nxtmedia

Wife is using our son, so she can keep and/or stay in the home and she isn’t even paying the mortgage which is several months past due. We have a good amount of equity that will enable us both to move on. Can the judge force me to sign over the deed to her and keep my name on the loan? I wish for a quick sale and there are buyers for the home. If this continues my credit will get worst and this will stop me from getting a home in the future. By the way she moved her brother and his mistress into the home with her new boyfriend visiting, We aren’t even fully divorced yet!… is this legal?

HowardIken

You need to file an enforcement motion and hold a short hearing. I doubt a judge will condone an impending default on the property.

Nxtmedia

She filed an answer, stating how it is best for her to stay in the home due to our son and his interest, plus growing up in the home for most of his childhood. Not sure if this is valid as she continues to not pay the mortgage ( my credit score is the worst) and lives for free (only pays utilities (late), which are in my name) and she makes good money, she just purchased a new BMW 3 series. She used a DV order to kick me out because I refused to sign the “order to stay”. She still has not taken the “Parenting class” over 100 days past due and every amended financial she submits seems to get lower and show more of a negative amount. Do you think the Judge (law) would allow her to really stay in the house rather than have it sold and divide the profits, more so her avoiding court ordered requirements?

Nxtmedia

I forgot, do you thing she will try an state she wants to get the home refinanced in her name? I know she will not get approved. As she makes 6 times the mortgage payment, but doesn’t pay the current mortgage. I believe she is doing this to only buy “more time” to live for free. As this has been a very long process to complete. I contacted case management, but nothing has happened yet.

HowardIken

It is hard to give certainty without knowing the case and the judge. But my previous answer stands.

Nxtmedia

The judge did nothing, denied the entire motion. She got an additional 6 months on top of the year already in the home, mortgage free. She makes $6K per month and the mortgage is only $700. She filed an amended financial which showed she was negative, but the numbers did not match up, plus the Judge reduced her income to $3650… shocking! She didn’t even need to show any proof what so ever of her new financials. Yet he accepted her statement and denied the sale of the home, temp support and 50/50 time sharing. During Mediation (two weeks later)she said since he did nothing you getting nothing.

D.N.

Used the proceeds from houses owned in a previous marriage (my first spouse is deceased) to makes a substantial down payment (almost half) on the house we live in now. The money also went toward renovations and repairs within the first few years of ownership. My spouses name was on the mortgage the first few years, but because my credit is better, we refinanced and I’m the one on the mortgage and pay the bulk of the household bills, especially since my spouse began working as an independent contractor, leading to a formation of am LLC. That money also went to purchasing a used vehicle after my spouses was repossessed and is in both of our names. What are my chances of retaining or recouping those assets?

HowardIken

You have a decent chance as long as you can accurately document the flow of money. You will need actual evidence in the form of receipts, deposit slips, etc.

Nxtmedia

Can I have the utilities cut off and out of my name, after I have given my spouse several attempts to have it moved in her name over the past five months? She continues to pay them late or make partial payments. Always carrying a balance, as well as ruining my credit and getting calls from the utilities companies.

HowardIken

That is not something I can answer here. It is a tricky issue. If your acts are not supported by the facts of the case – the court could hold you in contempt.